THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A teary farewell was given to Raju, who was murdered yesterday, on the day of his daughter’s wedding. Many broke down when the body was brought home. Some heart wrenching scenes were witnessed at his house.

‘Tomorrow this time you will be in another house, you should take the responsibility of a wife and live well.’ These were the words of teary-eyed Raju after giving a kiss to his daughter on the eve of her wedding. Raju did not have the fate to see his daughter as a bride and she also was not able to dress up like that.

Raju was murdered brutally on the wedding day of his daughter Sree Lakshmi. Jishnu (26) of J J Palace in Vadasserikonam, his brother Jijin (25) and their friends Manu (26) and Shyamkumar (26) murdered him after hitting him on his head with a spade. The accused arrived after confirming that there was no one in the house who could resist them.

The accused were hanging around Raju's house since 7 pm on Tuesday. The relatives and natives returned at night. Raju's son Srihari, an electrician at a private hospital in Varkala, accompanied his friends from Kollam to their boarding place in Varkala. The accused were observing all this. They came to Raju’s house and committed the murder.

When Raju's body was brought to the pandal erected for the wedding, the relatives and locals couldn't control the tears. Sree Lakshmi’s final kiss to her father was heart wrenching. She kissed her father after paying floral tributes. No one was able to console Sree Lakshmi who collapsed.

Meantime, the locals said that all the accused are drug addicts. Jishnu and his brother are short tempered. They don’t go for any work. The area is under their control at night. Women are scared to walk when they are around as they will be under the influence of alcohol and drugs. The public activists said that in recent times drugs reach Vadasserikonam area.

The accused unleashed violence in the area saying that no one would be spared. They beat Sree Lakshmi with branches of the tree. They later attacked Raju and his wife with pieces of wood and plastic chairs. Raju’s niece Gurupriya told police that Jishnu and his brother Jijin behaved like human animals. They returned saying that one had died. They also followed the car carrying Raju to the hospital. They fled after confirming the death of Raju. Manu and Shyam who were standing on the road were first taken into custody. Jijin is the first accused in the case of snatching the bag of a collection agent of a private money lending firm in the area.